Saturday, February 19, 2011

The souks of Marrakech﻿ were a feast for the senses and a shoppers delight. Leather, iron and tin work, silks, and textiles all worked by hand. Artisians worked their craft and sold their goods in little shops no bigger than a US style walk-in closet. These men were wonderfully talented and the craftmanship was at times exceptional.

I did get an sense of how hard a life these men live. They work with toxic and caustic materials which leave them in an early grave. Master tailors frequently go blind due to the years of strain on their eyes working elaborate embroidery.

Each work of art produced by these hard working men had elements of joy and tragedy.

Tin Smith

Wool yarn hanging to dry

﻿

The boiling cauldren and wood burning furnace for coloring yarn

﻿

Dyes

A wholesale leather market. These men are bidding on tanned hides.

These photos were all taken in the souk surrounding the Medersa Ben Youssef, or in English, The Koran School. Our guide said there were 3,500 artisian shops in this souk alone. The winding dark alleys went on for miles. It was the one place in the city I wish we had spent more time.

Saturday, February 12, 2011

We were shocked and fascinated by this Moroccan food market. Set in a small covered alley, each food stall offered something unique, sometimes something living waiting for slaughter! There is no clean and tidy separation between the source of the food and the shopper here.

But as I thought about it, this market was completely Green: no energy wasted on refrigeration or lighting, no plastic trash for disposal, and no carbon emmisions from long transport distances, this food most likely arrived by donkey cart. It was food for thought.

Potpourri Stall

Very Fresh Chicken - Prepared while you wait

There were a great number of cats, I think related to the great number of butchers.

I don't know how they keep their meat from spoiling, but they must

It was an eye opening experience for me, raised in the US, land of sterile grocery stores. I wonder how much meat I would eat each week if I had to pick out the animal for slaughter. I think much less. It was the kind of experience you only get from travel.

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Although dawn was not far off, the darkness was almost complete in this medieval city. The stars littered the sky outside my rooftop bedroom, calling to me. A slice of moon hung over the horizon so clear I thought I might touch it.

I wrapped myself in the thick blanket from my bed and climbed the stairs to the roof.

In my early rising, I disturbed Ishmael, the sweet tempered servant of my Riad. Unknown to me, he had been guarding my room by sleeping on the roof wearing only his coat for warmth. We startled one another.

Safely ensconced in a chair and wrapped in my quilt against the early morning chill, I watched the crystal clear stars glitter above me.

As the sun started to warm the colors of the night sky over the distant Atlas Mountains, the call to prayer began. Far away, the voice called in Arabic the ancient words, calling us, calling us, to follow the one true path. Soon there were more voices calling. For a full half an hour, the calls continued both near and far, swirling around me, filling the void of the night, reminding me to follow to the one true path.

As the calls to prayer ended another sound rose up from the streets, a humming, almost the sound of a bee hive, of ten thousand voices at prayer. In this place, the faithful begin each day reciting their sacred words, facing their holy city, each attempting to follow his one true path.

I wrapped the quilt closer around me, grateful for its warmth. The glow to the Eastern sky brought the colors of pink, purple and gold, driving back the night, extinguishing the stars one by one.

Saturday, February 5, 2011

Last weekend eight friends and I went on a journey in search of something completely different. We found ourselves in Marrakech and emersed ourselves in the culture and color of Morocco.

dJemma el Fna is a magical place. The main square of Marrakech is a feast for the senses: smells of animals and steaming dishes of lamb, the color of spice stalls, music from street performers, and dapples of light from lantern shops. The experience was overwhelming and wonderful. Here are a few of our photos from our visit there at dusk...
﻿﻿

﻿﻿

﻿

Exotic food stalls fill the Square at night. Here the cuisine is snails.

﻿

Roasted Sheep Heads with a side of Sweet Breads

This woman was selling Ostrich Eggs along with medicinal herbs and oils

﻿

A man in the traditional dress of a "water carrier"

Snake Charmers and Story Tellers fill the square

﻿

﻿

Lamp Shop on the edge of the square

Our eyes were opened to a whole new culture during our visit to el Fna. The exotic foods, the crush of the crowds, the narrative of the story tellers, the music of the snake charmer calling his cobra from a basket all combined to give us a brief look into another world. We were both shocked and touched by what we experienced.

This is the first in a four part series on Marrakech. I hope you enjoy!

I’ve been incommunicado. The kids were sick. Jordan became very sick. Days and weeks were spent worrying and visiting doctors. Walt started a crazy travel schedule. My sister came to visit for a glorious 10 days. Then I had some traveling to do of my own.

Although Walt is still traveling at a rate that leaves me a little blue, things should get easier from here.

I have much to write about. I hope to put pen to paper, or fingers to keyboard, over the next few weeks and open again the window to this crazy expat life.

About Me

I'm a Philadelphia native plucked out of West Chester, Pennsylvania and dropped in The Netherlands with my husband and three kids. I'm learning more about traveling with kids, Europe, and myself one adventure at a time.